Case1- England-Suffolk-High Lodge, Mildenhall-End Scraper, 352,000-130,000 BP

Fig. 2. Mildenhall end scraper, dorsal view, from Roe 239, no 11.

Fig. 1. Mildenhall end scraper, ventral (left) and dorsal view (right).

Formal Label: England-Suffolk-High Lodge, Mildenhall End Scraper-352,000-130,000 BP

Accession Number: A12

LC Classification: GN772.22.G7 

Date or Time Horizon: 350,000-200,000 BP

Geographical Area: Mildenhall Area, Suffolk.

Map: from Roe 1981: 95.

Figure 3. Mildenhall, Kent (top), and other Early Acheulian sites (diamonds);

also Late Acheulian sites (triangles).

Cultural Affiliation: Acheulian, Homo Heidelbergensis

Medium: Flint

Dimensions: H 12.5 cm; W 8.7 cm.
Weight: ?

Provenance: Old English Collection from 1920’s

Condition: This rare end scraper is in museum grade condition with the ‘classic flake industry of High Lodge’ detail and ancient patination.

Discussion: Lake-margin sediments of “Wolstonian Interstadial age yielded two flake industries, a lower rather crude one and an upper one with elegant and finely made flake tools (the ‘classic flake industry of High Lodge’)” (Roe 1981: 238). The Wolstonian Interstadial age is equivalent to Marine Isotope stages 6 through 10 (McMillan 2005; Gibbard, Boreham, Cohen, Moscariello 2007) with a duration of 352,000 BP to 130,000 BP (Lisiecki 2005, Lisiecki and Raymo 2005).

This large end-scraper has the high quality of retouch of the ‘classic flake industry of High Lodge’ (352,000 BP to 130,000 BP) along the lateral and distal edges with a steeply pitched dorsal ridge and an expertly faceted ventral platform. Also an expertly flaked hafting groove at the proximal end makes this a unique tool (see Roe 1981: 239, no. 11).

References:

Gibbard, P.L.; Boreham, S.; Cohen, K.M.; Moscariello, A. 2007. "Global chronostratigraphical correlation table for the last 2.7 million years" (JPG 844 kb). Cambridge UK: Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge.

Lisiecki, L.E., 2005, “Ages of MIS boundaries. LR04 Benthic Stack.” Boston, MA: Boston University.

Lisiecki, L.E.; Raymo, M.E. 2005. "A Pliocene-Pleistocene stack of 57 globally distributed benthic d18O records," (PDF). Paleoceanography, 20:1003.

McMillan, A.A. 2005. "A provisional Quaternary and Neogene lithostratigraphic framework Great Britain," Netherland Journal of Geosciences, 84 (2): 87–107.

Roe, Derek. 1981.The lower and middle Paleolithic periods in Britain. Series: Archaeology of Britain, Barry Cunliffe, ed. London, Boston and Henley: Routledge and Keegan Paul.